Everyday Creation

It seems appropriate to lead with Ozzy Osbourne's wild persona because he did, after all, bite off the head of a bat. He also played kind of a regular family man on the reality TV hit "The Osbournes." Co-founder of the influential heavy metal band Black Sabbath, Osbourne enjoyed a lot of success in his career. He also abused some heavy-duty substances.  You'll hear more about h...

As a musical 10-year-old, future Grammy winner Chuck Mangione took up the trumpet after seeing the 1950 movie "Young Man With a Horn." Directed by Michael Curtiz, the film had an all-star cast: Lauren Bacall, Kirk Douglas, Hoagy Carmichael and Doris Day. It's available on Prime Video. The picture that accompanies the Amazon listing also appears in the chapters.  Along with that movi...

Alan and Marilyn Bergman sure knew how to put words to music, and they did that successfully over four decades during which they won Academy Awards and Emmys.  One of those award-winning songs is "Windmills of Your Mind" from the movie "The Thomas Crown Affair." Here's the official Sting version of the song on YouTube . And here's a short with an interesting analysis...

Marilyn Bergman "wasn't a singer, but she was one heck of a lyricist." That's how Song of the Day creator Sheldon Zoldan describes Marilyn, who was half of the successful and dynamic duo who collaborated on the lyrics to such popular songs as "The Way We Were" and "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" The other half was Alan Bergman, who died in 2025,...

After a slow career start, singer-actor Connie Francis became one of the top-charting female vocalists of the late 1950s and early '60s. On one hand, she enjoyed tremendous success; on the other, she endured immense tragedy including the violent death of her brother. In an interview, she said she wanted to be remembered for persevering through the worst times of her life.  She co-starred in t...

Teen idol Bobby Sherman played the youngest brother, Jeremy Bolt, in the ABC series "Here Come the Brides" from September 25, 1968, to September 18, 1970. It didn't take long for him to become the network's most popular actor, judging from the stacks of fan mail he received every week.  During that time period, he also had a string of successful singles that included "Litt...

Singer-songwriter Lou Christie could have become a classical singer, his voice was that good. But his goal was to perform on "American Bandstand." He achieved that goal more than once. Here he is on that TV show performing his first hit, "The Gypsy Cried," which reached No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100, along with "Have I Sinned," his latest release as of the episode&a...

Musician, singer, songwriter and record producer Brian Wilson, a co-founder of the Beach Boys, had debilitating mental health issues starting with a panic attack while en route to a concert in December 1964. Still, he managed to create the innovative and influential rock concept album "Pet Sounds," which was released in 1966 and is considered to be among the greatest albums of all time. ...

At 11 years old, Sylvester Stewart had already mastered the guitar, bass, keyboard and drums. As Sly Stone, he and the Family Stone made the big time with one hit after another. Sly also became a big-time drug user, which proved to be his undoing. "Dance to the Music" was one of their hit songs. Here , you can watch a clip of the band performing it on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in...

Rick Derringer and the McCoys had their biggest hit with "Hang On Sloopy," a song that Derringer grew tired of playing even though fans clamored for it. Eventually, he went on to create a career that suited him better.  He sang and played guitar as a solo artist, and he collaborated with a wide range of other artists including Ringo Starr, Barbra Streisand and "Weird Al" Yankov...

The brother-sister duo Nino Tempo and April Stevens had a Grammy-winning hit with “Deep Purple,” which reached No. 1 in November 1963 and was named the Best Rock And Roll Recording of the year. Tempo died April 10, 2025; his older sister passed away in 2023. Her tribute, titled "April Stevens was a Hitmaker With and Without her Brother," is Episode 23 on Everyday Creation. Tempo's m...

Jesse Colin Young had a Top 5 single with the Youngbloods' version of "Get Together," but he didn't rest on those laurels. He continued to perform and also write his own songs both with the group and as a solo artist.  To listen to the Youngbloods sing "Get Together," you can go here. The song, about loving one another, plays as a fitting soundtrack to videos from Woo...

In the '80s, the New York Dolls were known for performing in high heels and makeup. Their audience loved the showmanship, especially frontman David Johansen's onstage strutting.  As a solo act, he was most successful as his lounge singer alter ego, Buster Poindexter. You can watch him singing and gyrating his way through "Hot Hot Hot" in this YouTube video . I do believe I caug...

Decades after the fact, Roberta Flack still is recognized as the only solo artist to win Record of the Year for two consecutive years, 1973 and 1974. She won the initial award for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." Here , you can listen to a 2006 remastered version from Rhino Atlantic.  Also on YouTube, there's a compelling live music video posted by AI Videoworks. It's fro...

Jerry Butler may not be a household name, but he had a long and fruitful career as a singer and songwriter, first with the Impressions and then as a solo artist.  Butler was part of the creation of the Philadelphia Sound, had hit songs that included "Only the Strong Survive," and later earned bachelor and master's degrees. In the mid-'80s, he was elected to the Cook County Comm...

You may not recognize his name, but Snowy Fleet was one of the most popular drummers that Australia ever produced. He was an early member of the Easybeats, whose song "Friday On My Mind" was No. 1 for eight weeks on Australia's singles chart. Also popular in the United States, the single reached No. 16. To see Fleet on the drums, watch this previously lost 1966 footage of the Easybe...

Marianne Faithfull was part of the swinging London scene in the 1960s. She recorded Keith Richards' and Mick Jagger's song "As Tears Go By" before the Rolling Stones did. She and Jagger had a three-year relationship before it ended after a drug raid at Richards' house in 1967. Addicted to heroin, she lost custody of her child and lived on the street for two years.  You can...

Tenor Sam Moore and baritone David Prater Jr. made beautiful music together, but they fought like cats and dogs. Still, they had more success as a duo than they did when they went their separate ways as solo artists. As Sam & Dave, they had 10 consecutive Top 20 R&B hits and two Top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits. In this tribute to Moore, you can learn the story behind the Sam & Dave partn...

Lenny Lipton was studying electrical engineering at Cornell University when he wrote a poem that turned into a song. That song eventually became a hit, thanks to Lipton's roommate who later became Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary fame. Find out how all that came about in this short story by Sheldon Zoldan.  Here , you can watch a 1965 recording of Peter, Paul and Mary performing "Puff the M...

Human beings are complicated and, as a result, life stories can include some not-so-shining moments. This is certainly true of this obituary for Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary fame.  Sheldon Zoldan's story about Yarrow covers the highs and lows of the singer's career. Yarrow was a member of 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, who were the voices of the civil rights and anti-war m...

Courtesy of a friend, a few words of encouragement serve as a mantra for coping with this year of change and chaos. In this video, I share them with you along with a bit of info on the Year of the Horse designation in Chinese astrology.  Send us Fan Mail This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation®, available on YouTube and in major podcast directories including Apple, Spotify...

Brenton Wood offered these final words to his fans: "Catch you on the rebound," referencing one of his songs. Brenton Wood wasn't his given name. In this episode, learn the inspiration behind the stage name, and also the moment that piqued his interest in pursuing a musical career. In 1967, after a career peak with three hits: "Gimme Little Sign," "The Oogum Boogum So...

What began as a book about the Vietnam War evolved into a candid memoir about a self-centered life of thrill-seeking adventure transformed into one focused on service and meaning. "Quest: Risk, Adventure and the Search for Meaning" by John Graham is available in print, on Kindle and as an audio book. To watch a brief video that promotes the book, go here . In this episode, you'll he...

Garth Hudson agreed to join the Hawks, a precursor to The Band, on two conditions: that he'd be paid a little extra to be the group's music teacher, and that he'd have a Lowery organ to play.  This tribute to Hudson includes a reference to The Band's song "Chest Fever." Hudson wasn't a singer or a songwriter, but he contributed mightily to the song's success...

For fans of historical fiction and anyone who loves a great story, here's a recommendation: Maria Tureaud's gothic novel "This House Will Feed." It's set during Ireland's Great Hunger, also known by its Irish name, An Gorta Mór.  The author was born and raised in a part of Ireland that was devastated by the Great Hunger during the mid-1800s, yet she barely learned any...